Microsoft Behind the Scenes: Data and Artificial Intelligence

Challenges

There
are four key challenges facing the Data and AI industry currently. The first of
these is a skills shortage. There is a widespread need for more data
specialists, data engineers, and data scientists. Filling these roles will help
to decipher and organise the massive quantity of data that is created on a
daily basis.

Secondly,
the mass amounts of data coming in needs to be assessed, and the question asked
whether or not the right data platform is in place to manage all of it. There
are still a lot of data silos at present. When considering that artificial
intelligence brings together pieces of random data in order to discover meaning
behind it, silos of data contribute nothing to the progression and utility of
artificial intelligence. A modern data platform can break these data silos and
actually support artificial intelligence.

The
third challenge is being able to create a valid business case for AI.
Artificial intelligence is a means to an end, not the end itself, and long term
thinking is a necessity when embarking on the Digital Transformation and
Artificial Intelligence journey.

The
final challenge is the most important one, responsible and trustworthy
artificial intelligence. The legislation around AI is attempting to keep pace
with innovation, but failing to catch up with the speed at which it is
developing. This presents a stumbling block, as the onus falls on those crating
artificial intelligence to build responsible and trustworthy technology. Be it
Microsoft and similar companies creating data platforms, or the customers
leveraging these technologies as part of their businesses.

Innovations

There
are also a series of innovations occurring in the industry. The largest
innovation occurring is a pattern of customers and businesses that used to be
discrete with their data, becoming increasingly connected and collaborative.
This is prompting a movement towards smarter artificial intelligence, and
innovation is occurring in every aspect of the value chain in every industry.

More
specifically in the manufacturing field, there is a ethos of creating new
customer experiences with Mixed and Augmented Reality, a trend that is also
cropping up on a broader scale. Experiences like these are birthed out of the
quality and quantity of data that is now available, and the computing power of
the cloud in order to make sense of it. There are amazing possibilities in the
future, a real-world example of this is manufacturing customers operating large
machinery, where predictive maintenance plays a huge role.

There
are also similar innovations occurring in the world of product design and
product development. Be it in the automotive sector or others involving design
elements, and collaborative efforts on the creation of a product. This space
heavily involves bringing together mixed reality and collaboration technologies
can help to speed up the design process for customers.

The Future of AI and
Data

With the industry
growing so quickly, and new technologies appearing regularly, the future of AI
is exciting. There is a real potential for artificial intelligence to have an
impact on larger society. Considering major world issues such as food and water
shortage, climate change, healthcare and poverty, AI presents a tangible step
towards helping solve these issues. Businesses will play a major role in
helping overcome these threats to society.

Microsoft consider
the future of artificial intelligence as incorporating AI into every element of
their processes. Every process presents the opportunity to have more insight
and become more intelligent. And every interaction, be it through an
application or otherwise, has the propensity to become more intelligent. This
outreach will allow for intelligent experiences to be created for every single
player in the value chain, regardless if it is in the front or back office –
and most importantly – for the end consumers.

Find out more about
Microsoft’s journey into Intelligent Automation by reading our exclusive
interview with Ramshanker Krishnan, which you can download here.

We use cookies and similar technologies to recognize your visits and preferences, as well as to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and analyze traffic.To learn more about cookies, including how to disable them, view our Cookie Policy

Unsupported Browser Detected

The browser you are using is not supported that will prevent you from accessing certain features of the website. We want you to have the best possible experience. For this you'll need to use a supported browser and upgrade to the latest version.